Funding now available for Level 2 courses
Advanced Learner Loans
Are you aged 19 or over and thinking about further education? You may qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan. These loans help you to pay the fees charged by colleges and training organisations. Most learners aged 19 and over, studying at Level 3 to 6, will qualify for these loans from the UK Government. It’s easy to apply, your household income isn’t taken into account and there’s no credit check. You won’t have to pay anything back until your income is over the repayment threshold. Find out more at www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan
Do I qualify?
To qualify you must be...
-Aged 19 or over on the first day of your course (there’s no upper age limit)
-Living in the UK on the first day of your course and have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for three years immediately before this unless you meet one of the exceptions detailed in the ‘Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Learners’
-Studying with a college or training organisation in England approved for public funding
-Enrolling on an eligible course at Level 3 to 6 which includes A levels, Access to HE Diplomas and other vocational qualifications. These loans do not cover Degrees or other forms of Higher Education (HE). For information on funding for HE go to www.gov.uk/studentfinance
Applying is easy
Apply online or download an application form at www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan
Making the right choice
It’s important you consider your own circumstances and look into all options for paying for your course before choosing to take out a loan. If you want advice on managing your finances you can get impartial money advice from the Money Advice Service at www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
How much can I get?
The amount you can get depends on your course, the fees charged by your college or training organisation, and maximum amounts set by the government. The minimum loan amount is £300. You can take out a loan for the maximum amount to cover your fee or you can pay all or part of the fee yourself.
How is the loan paid?
Student Finance England will pay your agreed loan to your college or training organisation once they’ve confirmed that you have registered on the course.
How many loans can I get?
You can have up to a maximum of four Advanced Learner Loans. You can apply for multiple advanced learner loans at the same time for courses of the same type and level. For A Levels you can apply for a loan to fund each course you take towards your A-Levels - up to a maximum of 4 A Levels. This means you can have up to 8 loans if you’re taking each A Level as 2 separate courses (AS and A Level if you start on or after 1 August 2015). The courses must be in the same subject to qualify for a full A-Level. You can get up to three more loans for non-A Level courses once you have completed your A-Levels.
Access to HE Diplomas
If you’re undertaking an Access to HE Diploma and then go on to complete an eligible HE qualification, the outstanding balance of your Advanced Learner Loan may be written off. To qualify for this write off you must have fully completed both courses. You do not need to take out a loan for the HE course. However, it must be eligible for funding by Student Finance England. The HE course does not have to relate to the Access to HE course you complete.
Course fees
The fee for your course will be set by your college or training organisation. They’ll confirm the cost and the amount that can be covered by a loan before you enrol.
Repayment
- You won’t have to make repayments until your income is over a set threshold, which will be £25,000 a year until April 2027
- From April 2027 the threshold is set to rise annually with inflation (RPI)
- If you study a full-time course, you will be due to start repaying from the April after completing your course or leaving/withdrawing from higher education
- A 2026 graduate who starts a job with a salary of £28,000 a year, would expect to repay around £17 per month over financial year 2027-28
- If your income drops below the threshold, your repayments will stop, and any outstanding balance will be written off 40 years after entering the repayment
- www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/what-you-pay
Interest
Some of the interest on your loan will be based on inflation (Retail Price Index (RPI))
Find out more
- For information and advice on learning, career, and funding options, visit the National Careers Service website
- For more information and to apply, visit gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan
- Speak to our HE Admissions staff on 0161 666 8215.
Degree Courses
Students may apply for a tuition fee loan, and a maintenance loan for eligible courses. information can be found at:
www.gov.uk/student-finance
To find out more about Student Finance, click here.
Learner Support Fund
The college has a support fund to enable students who have been identified as experiencing the greatest need for financial support to remain in education and thereby improve their choices in life.
Please call the HE and Skills Admissions Team on 0161 666 8215 for more information.
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